Anderson .Paak is the future. Over the past year the African-American/Korean singer-songwriter has shed his Breezy Lovejoy alias with an impressive debut (Venice), a collaboration project with Stones Throw’s revered beat wizard Knxwledge, and multiple features on a surprise Dr. Dre album. His newest offering, the one-off double track “The Season/Carry Me,” is a peek inside the artist’s creative visions, contrasting modes of funk-infused soul jams that range from future trap to vintage rhythm and blues. Toeing the line between the two is exactly where Anderson .Paak thrives.

.Paak (born Brandon Anderson Paak in 1986) was raised in Oxnard, California. As Vibe reports, “by the time .Paak hit high school, both of his parents were incarcerated.”

“A lot of the hardships created a big impact on me and built a lot of my character,” he told VIBE in an interview. “Growing up in a house where there was a lot of different musical influences—my mom listens to soul stuff and Top 40, my sisters would listen to hip-hop—and the church, I grew up listening to a lot of gospel stuff. So I think that plays a role in how I make music now because my music has a lot of range. I don’t just do one thing.”